


What If

by Runadaemon



Series: Fluff Week 2020 [5]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Bittersweet, Bonding, Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Love Square Fluff Week 2020, Melancholy, Platonic Cuddling, Playful restraint, Post-Episode: s03e05 Children Of Earth - Day 5, What Could Have Been, Wrestling, mild restraint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22662736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runadaemon/pseuds/Runadaemon
Summary: Chat always visits Marinette at the worst times.....at his worst times.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi
Series: Fluff Week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1625758
Comments: 8
Kudos: 231





	What If

**Author's Note:**

> Is this fluff? Is this comfort? I don't know anymore. Please just take it and help me label it well so i don't accidentally trigger someone. *cries*

ML Love Square Fluff Week 2020: Day 5, Comfort 

“What’re you up to?”

Marinette screamed and jumped as she twisted to see the person that had snuck up behind her. Marinette made quite a sight, clutching her shirt tightly at the center of her chest as though it were a robe, with her other arm protectively fanned out and legs spread to hide whatever she’d been doing. Chat Noir quickly covered his mouth, but a chuckle still escaped.

“CHAT!” Marinette cried out in frustration. As she relaxed her stance, Marinette changed how awkwardly she had been standing. Bringing her legs closer to the center of her gravity, her shoulders fell into a more relaxed posture without thought. Slowly her grip on her shirt relaxed and her other arm fell to her side. Chat noted with interest how easily you could see the tension leave Marinette’s frame, as though every thought was telegraphed to the world.

Despite her scolding tone, Marinette’s entire posture was screaming ‘Oh good, you’re here!’ at Chat, and he felt a small flush of pride at how relieved she was to see him. Marinette never seemed comfortable around him as Adrien, but with Chat, she never seemed to feel uncomfortable. It was an odd juxtaposition for him, since he was the same person, but her reactions were so different based on how he looked. It made him wonder about the inconsistency, and he often found his thoughts circling this mysterious girl in front of him.

“Hi Princess. What’re you up to?” Chat smiled innocently, as though he hadn’t silently glided up behind Marinette after dark on her balcony just a few minutes prior. Marinette’s face transformed between several amusing emotions, Chat noted. First she was incredulous, then amused, then concerned, before bluster and faux irritation took over. Chat settled into a crouch on the balcony rail, feeling his tail swishing as he studied her face.

“I’m not up to anything!” Marinette responded with a strong, confident voice. Chat quirked his lips into a grin, silently laughing at the obvious lie. It might be odd, but he loved it when she lied to him. She was so easy to see through, and so stubborn despite it. Marinette’s face flushed when she saw the amusement, deflating and sitting on her lounger with a sigh.

“Okay fine, I’m up to something, but I’m not telling nosy kitties.” Marinette admitted sullenly. Chat felt his tail lash in both amusement and frustration. His princess always knew just how to peak his interest, and despite his best intentions, he never could put down a good mystery. Chat’s eyes flicked to the corner where Marinette had been working. As though reading his mind, or maybe his tail, Marinette raised a warning finger. “No! Bad Kitty! I’m not spilling so-”

Chat pounced, Marinette scrambled to block him, and they collided. With laughter spilling from Chat’s lips, and Marinette screeching inhumanly, they made quite a racket as they spun around and hit the deck. Chat attempted to twist them so he could take the brunt of the fall, but somehow Marinette braced awkwardly, and she ended up on the bottom. Laughing, Chat glanced up through his lashes at his favorite person.

“Sorry princess. You know what they say about curiosity and cats though.” He trailed off suggestively, and was amused to feel Marinette wrap her thighs tightly around his hips to keep him from hopping up and going after whatever she’d been doing. With another chuckle, Chat easily changed tracks and happily flopped his entire weight onto Marinette, doing his best to squish her and cover her in his scent.

Marinette of course, being human, took that as a suffocation attempt, scrabbling to escape his weight and failing miserably. When she was tired out, Chat scooted down a bit and buried his face in her chest, snickering at her failure and purring in amusement. Marinette squeaked, groaned, and rocked around, trying everything she could to escape, but Chat’s weight had her pinned.

When a final attempt to hold Chat by the shoulders and physically push her off ended in failure, she finally huffed and splayed out in defeat. Chat’s tail swished in amusement, easily reading her loss as temporary as Marinette pouted down at him disapprovingly. Rather than say anything that might cause her to smack him, Chat purred up at her before burying his face in her chest again.

Chat’s ears perked at Marinette’s sigh, and his purrs increased in strength and volume when Marinette threaded her hands through his hair, easily finding a soothing pattern to send him into slumber if he wasn’t careful. Chat pressed his head further into her hands encouragingly. He could never get enough of his princess’s touch, and shamelessly took whatever she offered him.

With an amused huff, Chat heard Marinette’s head smack softly into the floor as she finally fully relaxed. With her Chat splayed across her upper body, and her lower legs wrapped around his hips, it was an awkward position for anyone else, but they made it work. Chat lay curled around her, head burrowing into her chest, arms around her waist, and legs curling up beneath her bottom to support her.

“What’s up, Kitty?” Marinette murmured quietly into the night air. Chat felt his ears twitch, unable to resist listening to her dulcet tones, though he’d rather not reply. As though sensing his unhappiness, Marinette dug her nails into his scalp a little harder than before, provoking an even stronger purr and a more boneless flop as Chat relaxed into her, arms loosening. “Bad day, little kitty?”

Almost against his will, Chat gave the smallest nod he could get away with, satisfied when Marinette hummed and resumed the pattern she favored when petting his head. Marinette could always tell when he didn’t want to discuss his problems. It helped to let her know he was having trouble nonetheless.

Chat deliberately focused away from today’s events, knowing he couldn’t tell his princess about his dad banning him from a date with his girlfriend, or the subsequent akuma that Chat felt guilty for. If he’d been able to keep his promise, there wouldn’t have been any akuma, and his girlfriend would be willing to talk to him. Instead, his girlfriend left him on ‘Read’, his father had locked him in his room, and he didn’t have any free time in his schedule for another two weeks.

Rather than explain all of that, Chat sighed and let his princess soothe him. Sometimes when he curled up with Marinette, he wondered about his choice to not date her. If he had dated her as his civilian side, would their relationship now be better or worse? As though responding to his daydreaming, Marinette stopped petting his head, wrapping her arms around his chest and torso, and squeezing tightly.

With anyone else, Chat would feel constrained and fight against the restraints, but with Marinette he relaxed into the pressure, finding relief instead. That feeling of relief stayed until his princess betrayed him, flipping him over and towering over him with her legs still wrapped around him and her arms holding her suspended above him with a mischievous grin. Chat wanted to mewl in betrayal, but the sweet smile sucked his ire right out. Chat smiled hopelessly back at her.

“Sorry kitty, but I don’t like to lose, and you know you’re not allowed to wallow.” With an offended yowl, Chat frantically tried to escape without using his claws. If Chat accidentally used his claws, Marinette would splash him with a water bottle faster than he could blink. She’d done it before. And if he tore any of her handiwork, he got twice the water, and none of the cuddles.

Marinette expertly fended off his attempts, sending a sneaky hand to his hips where he had an unfortunate weakness whenever he got too close to escaping. Once they were both weak with laughter, Marinette collapsed back on top of Chat, still giggling faintly. Into the quiet, Marinette’s voice quietly ventured.

“Me too kitty. My day wasn’t so great. My boyfriend… he didn’t enjoy the date I planned for us.” Marinette shifted to glance up at him with a resigned smile. “He didn’t say so, but, it’s easy to tell when he’s having fun, and he wasn’t. He’s wonderful, really, but our interests are so different.” Marinette sighed and Chat suppressed his instinctive urge to flirt with and console her. Now wouldn’t be the right time.

“I really like him, but sometimes I wonder if we’re meant to date.” Marinette mused. “I thought I’d be happy with someone that cares for me, makes time for me, and listens to me but…” Marinette trailed off. Chat watched his princess thoughtfully look in the direction she’d been working before he startled her earlier.

“Sometimes,” Marinette murmured. “Just sometimes, I feel so stressed that I don’t reciprocate enough. That this isn’t how dating is supposed to be, and I feel like,” Marinette smiled sadly down at Chat. He stared up with large eyes, feeling his heart pounding in his ears and an odd heartbreak echoed in his chest, pulsing with the sadness in her voice. “I feel like I’m just not enough, and it’s nothing he does, it’s me.”

Chat instinctively shook his head in denial. Sometimes his princess was wrong, but there wasn’t anything wrong with her. Anyone would be lucky to be with her. With a sinking heart, he found himself remembering when he had had a chance with her, but didn’t take it. Marinette smiled a little more lightly at him.

“Silly kitty, it’s okay. I think I’m not ready for a relationship, that’s all.” Marinette sat up and leaned back, resting on his pelvis and giving Chat an excellent view he’d never before realized he wanted. “So I think I’ve decided.” Marinette announced in a confident, strong voice. Chat smiled sadly, recognizing her lying tone, and for once not enjoying it at all.

“I think I’m just going to be single for a while. Maybe I’ll end up an old Chat Lady, you never know.” Marinette winked at Chat and stood, reaching down to help him up. Rather than accept her hand, Chat just flopped further into the ground, staring helplessly up at the goddess standing over him, highlighted by moonlight, dusted by starlight, and out of his league by light-years.

Marinette would always be where he wandered when he needed someone to comfort him, he mused. But what did he need to do in order to provide the same comfort for her? She needed love and comfort and he felt like he wasn’t giving her enough. Her boyfriend certainly wasn’t, not if she was going to break up with him. What could he do for his princess, when he was only a Chat?

Marinette huffed at him in feigned irritation before straightening up and moving away. She resumed working in her corner, often glancing over to be sure he stayed down. Chat watched her go and daydreamed about what it might be like if he’d reached for her when he had the chance. Maybe they wouldn’t be cuddling under the moonlight together now. They might have ended up less than friends. Or maybe they would be together now, but he’d be Adrien and she’d be all his. Lost in his thoughts, Chat dozed off to the sound of his princess humming.


End file.
